Viterra Championship

13 V I T E R R A C H A M P I O N S H I P . C A FEBRUARY 6 - 10, 2019 | TUNDRA OIL AND GAS PLACE, VIRDEN Hurry Hard to High Performance Looking to counter the cold this winter? Energy efficient Tripane windows from JELD-WEN help keep chilly air where it belongs—out of the house! Skip extra heating costs and get cozy with our award-winning ENERGY STAR ® certified windows. JELD-WEN Windows & Doors and McMunn & Yates Building Supplies are proud supporters of the 2019 VITERRA CHAMPIONSHIP Manufacturer of the Year Windows and Doors 2017 Energy savings are just a stone's throw away. Visit your local McMunn & Yates store today. chance to play the best teams – those have been the reasons for playing in Scotties," she says. However, she acknowledges that she has known she had very little chance of advancing to the Scotties national championship. "Going into a championship competition knowing you have a chance to win completely changes your mindset," McCreanor says. "I was surprised by the age range of the competitors – from about 25 to 60, all age groups really. It was very representative of the entire curling community." Competing, and obviously succeeding, at the Club Champions level was special for McCreanor and her team in 2018 and as the rules permit, the team will seek the same opportunity in the future as the Club Champions event does provide the competition they strive for as athletes. She is eager to go back to the national championship to try to improve on a quarter-final finish. In 2018, after four wins to start, a flu bug hit the team. Two losses followed, dropping them into a tiebreaker which they won to advance to that quarter-final. Current rules dictate the two Manitoba champion teams cannot return to the nationals in 2019. Eligibility rules have been drafted to create opportunities through turn-over of teams and to ensure that club level players are encouraged to participate. Among those rules are stipulations that, as reigning champions, the Wickman and McCreanor teams are not eligible to compete this year and competing teams may only include one player who has played in a Canadian Championship or Tier 1 Grand Slam event. (Complete rules are available at curlmanitoba.org) Manitoba's 12-team Club Champions Men's and Women's Championships will be played in March at the Charleswood Curling Club. The competing teams have been determined by a series of regional playdowns across the province with eligible teams who have qualified by winning their club championship OR a special club championship playdown within their clubs.

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